AUSTIN - Galveston County's last remaining Democrat in the Legislature, Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, announced Wednesday in an emotional speech that he will not run for re-election.

"I'm not saying I'm not going to try and come back," Eiland said, wiping away tears and choking up during his personal privilege speech. "But I'm not running for re-election."

Clutching a white handkerchief, Eiland said it was time for him to be a good husband, a good father and a good lawyer - in that order.

"When I got here I was single - and that was fun - so this is the only life my wife and children have ever known," Eiland said. The couple has four children.

He also urged legislators to adapt to changing demographics.

"We have to start working together and thinking about two colors - brown and purple," he said, referring to the growing Hispanic population and the color the House is supposed to wear on Thursdays to symbolize the blending of ideas on both sides of the aisle. "And if we do that the infrastructure of the state will be great and the future will be bright."

Eiland choked out an emotional "thank you" and stepped away from the front microphone to a standing ovation.

Eiland, a lawyer in Galveston, has served in the Texas House since 1994 and is chairman of the House Insurance Committee. His term ends in 2014.

After Hurricane Ike smashed into Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula in September 2008, Eiland was a key figure in persuading legislators to support restoration of the storm-battered University of Texas Medical Branch.

He was appointed speaker pro tempore in 2009 for the 81st Legislature and to a seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee.

The posts gave him additional clout and helped him defeat a proposal by University of Texas regents to move UTMB off Galveston Island, where it is the largest employer. He was replaced on the Appropriations Committee after Republicans won a super majority in 2010.

Eiland trounced Republican challengers in the last two elections even as they strengthened their hold on District 23, which includes about half of Galveston County and all of Chambers County.

In 2012, he easily beat Republican Wayne Faircloth, capturing 54 percent of the vote with a slogan designed to lure Republican voters: "It's not about party. It's about leadership."

He is considered an expert on insurance matters and budget issues and particularly on Medicaid program budgets. Texas Monthly magazine named Eiland one of Texas' 10 Best legislators in 2009.

Eiland also endured criticism in 2011 for receiving more than $620,000 in legal fees in a multimillion-dollar Hurricane Ike settlement between homeowners and a state insurance agency - an agency he helped oversee as vice chairman of the House Committee on Insurance.